Today, many electronic devices include both a display and controls. In many of these devices, environmental sealing is provided to prevent damage to the device when exposed to a wet environment, such as a water splash or brief exposure to rain. In portable electronic devices such as pagers and compact disk players, there is typically a liquid crystal display and several buttons. To improve customer appeal, portable devices (such as some pagers) having a common housing shape and significant common electronics are altered by, for example, changing the size of a display, the shape or number of controls, or legends identifying functions of button controls or legends providing the meaning of display icons that are only distinguished by position on the display. Such alterations provide multiple user interface configurations that are desirable for marketing reasons. This can be particularly important in a global marketplace where cultural differences emphasize a need for differently shaped buttons, and in differing markets within a country wherein the same electronics are used but different functions are provided by different programming instructions.
Techniques commonly employed to provide such differences are adhesive attached labels having different legends for a given display and set of buttons, or a changed housing cover to accommodate differing quantities or shapes of buttons that have legends on them. The use of an adhesive attached label having different legends works well with a fixed arrangement of display and unlegended buttons, but what is needed is a technique to accommodate differing sizes, shapes and locations of buttons and displays that avoids expensive and lengthy housing tooling changes, and provides for easy repair and yet maintains the water resistance integrity desired for the market.